Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses and acknowledge those in attendance in the Visitors Gallery. Last year, I stated in the Dáil that changes in emergency call-outs, in County Kerry in particular, would lead to deaths. Unfortunately, I have since been proved right as they resulted directly in the death of Mrs. Elizabeth Riordan from Direen, Cahirciveen, who fell ill in Tralee town within sight of Kerry General Hospital. An ambulance was called because the lady was choking but she died while waiting for it to arrive. Staff in the ambulance control centre directed an ambulance from Listowel to the scene, whereas those waiting at the house were given the impression that an ambulance was being dispatched from Tralee. Mrs. Riordan's husband listened for a siren but by the time the ambulance came, it was too late. His wife died two days later in hospital as a direct result of the loss of local knowledge when the call centre in County Kerry was centralised to the dispatch centre in Townsend Street, Dublin.

Are the witnesses satisfied and confident that the facility in Townsend Street is fit for purpose? Why was an external safety audit of the building not carried out? Is it true that while an internal safety audit was carried out by the Health Service Executive, no external audit of the facility has been carried out? All businesses can be subject to an audit at any time, including by an external body, which will check whether the business premises is fit for purpose? Are the witnesses satisfied in respect of the operations being run out of Townsend Street that the necessary systems, mechanisms and technology are in place? The control centre was certainly not fit for purpose when it commenced operations.

In another case, the control centre received a call from an address in County Kerry but dispatched an ambulance to an identical address 55 miles away in County Cork. These frightening events led directly to the death of at least one person. Is it any wonder that we, as public representatives, raise concerns on behalf of the people we represent? When we did so before these events took place we were told by those operating the service in County Kerry that such cases would occur if local knowledge was lost. Deputies from other areas received similar warnings. The problem can be traced to simple matters such as the pronunciation of various townlands and the accents of people from different areas. This is common sense.